Death2Daleks

As an update: I'm now working on finishing up CFI, my exam is on Thursday! Still have over 13 grand in the pot to finish out my MEI and CFII ratings.

I got my multi-engine rating right after my PPL, then did Instrument in the multi. From there, I got my Commercial multi rating (so I built hours in the Seminole). This isn't illegal, and I don't think an audit can say anything about it. I used the chunks of money the VA made available and just did it smartly (time share when able).

This was at Professional Air, attached to Central Oregon Community College, in Bend, Oregon.

hopp150

Again, understanding this post is old but still a good reference for people looking to use GI Bill.

It really is very simple.
If you use MGIB then you will pay for the training up front. When the school submits the voucher to the VA then the VA will reimburse you 60% of the cost.

If you use post 9/11 under the Flight training and 10K per academic year rule then the school is required to pick up the entire bill (only a few actually use this correctly) and then when they submit the voucher to VA the school is reimbursed 100% of the cost of training up to 10K per academic year. Most schools have you pay the money up front, then bill the VA and the VA pays them. The school basically is paid twice and you have to count on them paying you back the money they get from VA. Most schools probably will never have a problem doing this but here in Savannah there was a school that billed the VA for over 50 students for a program before most of the students even flew an hour, then he closed the doors and ran. I kid you not, he submitted bogus vouchers to the VA for over 50 active duty soldiers and rolled out. Anyways, I digress. There are a few schools that use VA correctly, make sure you know which ones they are.

If you use post 9/11 while going to school that has an approved program then you are not held to the 10K per year rule. You will get the same GI bill benefits that someone going to a typical 4 year university would get.

A few rules. You are not supposed to be able to use the GI bill for time building but if done correctly and you are proficient you absolutely can with the understanding of the school.

For you to get reimbursed the school VA rep has to log it as a claimable expense under VA. Each flight school is a little different so research before you commit.

You can't use GI bill to pay for your check rides under the 10K per academic year or the 60% rule on the same voucher. But, after you take your check ride submit your voucher to the VA with a receipt for the plane rental and the check ride fee and you will get reimbursed. I did this for my AMEL ATP and Rotorcraft ATP.

It seems that every 141 school interprets things a little different on whats required and they all approach things at different paces. If it appears to be a bridge too far most will tell you it can't be done. If they have a dedicated staff that knows the regs, and enjoys what they do then it will be no problem getting all of your ratings and without getting robbed while doing it.

I spent months trying to find a school that understood the program and I ended up going to Horizon Flight Center in VA. I was a Rotorcraft ATP with my private ASEL and AMEL and wanted my AMEL ATP. After a brief conversation with the Chief Flight Instructor up there I knew they had their stuff together. Since I already had an Instrument Rating (rotorcraft ATP) per part 61 as soon as I received the 15 hours of dual received for Instrument flight and met the time requirements and so fourth then I was eligible to take the ATP check ride, skipping the instrument and commercial. Most schools laughed at me when I called them. All agreed it was legal but nobody wanted to take it on. After a 10 minute conversation with Horizon I was told… Yeah, we have a syllabus for that. I was sold, I went up there for a week and knocked it out.

Sorry, I will get off my box here, but bottom line. There are some great schools out there that can walk you through the GI bill process. Do the research and find them because there are some that will take your money and run.

Bloggs

Ok, that is news to me. I thought that to avoid the 10k cap, you had to be enrolled in a degree program, 2 year or 4 year.

What stand alone 141 flight school will allow you to use the degree benefits without enrolling in a degree program?

hopp150

I'm sorry, I just read what I wrote and I see that I was unclear. What I meant to say is if you go to a school enrolled under a degree plan that also includes your ratings then you are not held to the 10K per year.

TheWeatherman

Interesting, I never thought of doing it that way. I am a couple weeks from getting my PPL and starting to use my Mont GI Bill to pay for flight training. Did you do it that way in order to get the MGI bill to help you pay for building hours on the Multi-Engine? i.e instead of getting your Instrument on a single-engine, you did it on the multi-engine so those hours would count towards your 100 hours min ATP with the VA paying 60% of it? Did the VA have any issues with that?

Apejackson

I'm in the process of wrapping up my commercial multi. I did PPL, multi Add-on, instrument in multi, and am now doing my commercial in the multi. I currently have 170 TT with 100 multi. 100% paid by the VA. I am having to do it concurrently with an aviation degree but well worth it not having to pay a dime for my flight training. After my comm multi I will be doing MEI, MEI-I, single engine comm add-on, then single engine CFI. Again, all will be paid by the VA.

In order to use the Post 9/11 GI Bill to pay 100% of the flight training it has to be a degree producing program. I'm at a community college. I will be done with all my flight training in a total of 18 months with an associates degree and zero out of pocket expenses.

Edit - Also, I will have received BAH for an E-5 with dependents every month while attending and have close to 250 TT and well over 100 multi.

And some colleges will have an aviation degree but you won't be able to use GI Bill to cover flight training. It all has to do with how the school bills the flight training portion. The school has to bill you directly as a lab fee then pay the flight school. If you are responsible for paying the flight school directly it won't be covered under Chapter 33 (Post 9/11).